After knowing all the side effects of smoking, it is important that you stop smoking immediately. Though it is not an easy task, you have to be determined and firm to give it up. To help you with your process of stopping smoking, there are many methods that you can follow as per your wish. Some of these methods are listed below. These methods help to reduce the withdrawal symptoms caused due to drastic reduction in nicotine intake during the quitting process.
Cold turkey:
One of the most popular and well-known ways smokers choose to quit smoking is what is known as "cold turkey." Cold turkey is a method to stop smoking using one's sheer willpower. The phrase cold turkey is universally understood to mean to quit smoking abruptly, often without forethought or preparation, nor a gradual reduction in amount smoked. Most people also assume cold turkey means to quit smoking without using any smoking cessation aids such as nicotine gum or patches.
You can improve your chances for permanently quitting with the cold turkey method if you follow a few guidelines:
• Understand that withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, tiredness and more, may be fairly intense, but they will lessen after just a few days.
• Drink lots of water to help your body flush toxins out quickly.
• Keep a straw or other cigarette substitute handy to keep your hands and mouth busy.
• When cravings hit, close your eyes and count down from 10 to 0, very slowly. Breathe deeply with each count.
• Call a friend when you feel like reaching for a smoke. Divert your attention.
• Take a quick walk, even if it is just to the bathroom or mailbox.
Nicotine Replacement therapy:
For a regular smoker, undergoing quit smoking program, when the level of nicotine in blood falls, withdrawal symptoms like irritability, restlessness, inability to concentrate, dizziness, increased appetite and nicotine craving develop. These symptoms worsen if not relieved immediately with a cigarette. Thus the method of Cold Turkey for quitting smoking abruptly is usually not prescribed for them.
To avoid the withdrawal symptoms occurring from Cold Turkey method, Nicotine Replacement Therapy comes as an aid. This is the most easy and effective way to stop smoking.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) makes use of certain things like pills and sprays. These are to be taken while following a proper program. These act as nicotine substitute, and include
Nicotine Gum
NIcotine Patches
Nicotine Lozenges
Nicotine Tablets
Nicotine Inhalers
and Nicotine Sprays
Laser treatment:
Laser treatment is a new method for stopping smoking found by a smoker himself. The method uses a low power laser for stimulating some energy points on your body. It is a painless method, though using a laser. These lasers stimulate the production of body's natural pain relieving chemicals- Endorphins. These chemicals in turn help in relieving nicotine cravings. Also the withdrawal symptoms are reduced to a large amount.
The energy points on which the lasers act effectively are wrists, hands, face and the ears. These lasers are extremely painless, do not cut, burn or harm your skin and are very effective.
Stop smoking using hypnosis:
Hypnosis is a natural mental state, under which you feel relaxed, relieved and with no tension. Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to make you make visualize yourself becoming a non-smoker. It is an efficient method for quitting smoking without using any material or medicines.
Hypnosis helps you deal with many psychological and emotional aspects of quit smoking. It is important for you to look at the positive aspects of it rather than the negative one's like strong cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
During hypnotherapy a therapist helps you to go in a semiconscious state, wherein he makes you dream of something. At this state of mind you become receptive to orders and suggestions. The hypnotherapist then makes some positive suggestions that help you overcome the craving for cigarettes.